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With the release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows almost a week away, the USA Today has a feature on grief as fans await the last installment in the Harry Potter series. Faced with the possibility of the death of a most beloved figure and others, as well as the knowledge that this is the final chapter of the saga, the newspaper has two articles regarding death and the finality found in “Deathly Hallows.”

The first article addresses the process we are taking as talking about who may die in DH turns ” to mourning as Potterians process the news and adjust, or not, to a glum future absent the exquisite anticipation of another book. Some fans, maybe most, will take it in stride. “She’s kind of prepared us,” says Trysh Thompson, 26, a technical writer in Georgetown, Ky. “It’s not going to be a total shock.”

Also important is the loss we will feel as this is the final installment in the series.

“It makes sense to grieve the end of a fictional character in the fictionality of Internet space,” says pop-culture historian Robert Thompson of Syracuse University. “Even if nobody was going to die, the really significant grief is that they’re not going to be able to look forward to another book. When something cultural is with you for that long and that regularly, it becomes part of your life, and when it goes away, it’s sad.”

The second piece continues more about which characters may not survive the outcome of book seven, and offers thoughts from the Harry Potter actors and film makers on who they think may die in “Deathly Hallows.”

Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter): “A heroic death for me has always been the most fitting way to conclude the series. I think it’s a very conclusive way to end it.”

Emma Watson (Hermione Granger): “I have a nasty feeling Harry might die. I think he might have to go with Voldemort.”

Michael Goldenberg (screenwriter): “I can imagine an ending where Harry lives and it’s still quite bittersweet. I just don’t know if (J.K. Rowling)can kill off Harry.”

55 Responses to Grieving over “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”

says:

Admit it! Deep inside us, we all have the feeling that Harry will die!

says:

oh lawd

I’m mostly anticipation and excitement. Can’t even think of grief yet. Amazin’ how some people think ahead like that. But I’d rather savour these last delicious and non-retrievable moments of tremorous anticipation. When I grieve, I’ll make it short ‘cause that’s what life is. Short. Relatively.

says:

I don’t know about anyone else…but I’m already depressed about the last book coming out, regaurdless of whether anyone dies. I am excited about reading the book, finding out what happens and getting questions answered…but this is the last time we will read a Harry Potter book for the first time. And there is nothing like getting that book at midnight, opening it up and reading it for the first time. That’s never going to happen again.

Fiction or not, Harry Potter has been a hugely significant part of my life. I mean, I grew up with those characters! They were some of my closest friends in the lonely years of middle and high school, and I met so many good friends in the fandom.

I can’t believe it’s coming to a close. I know I’ve mostly been a lurker for the past few years, making my voice known just around book releases and such…but I absolutely love you guys. It’s nice to have people that love this freakin books as much as I do… and I feel like we’re a family.

I guess there are a few things you can go through together, and not end up as friends after them. And reading, discussing, speculating, and enjoying these books is one of them. I love you all.

says:

Okay now I’m completely convinced that Harry is Dumbledore.

says:

undone, you expressed so well the way I feel too.
No matter what happens in the book, it will be sad because it’s the last one. I want to read it very slowly to enjoy every page.

It’s interesting because now it seems most people think Harry will die, specially after Jo’s interview with Jonathan Ross. And actually Dan, who has always defended that theory, is the one who doesn’t think that anymore. I don’t know when this interview was done, but during OotP promotion Dan has always said he doesn’t think Harry will die, and he thinks Snape is ‘good’, which are my main theories too, and I hope we are right!

says:

Everywhere I go people talk about the possibility of Harry dying. In fact, I’ve heard it so many times last couple of days I’m starting to believe there’s more to it than empty prediction. I’m beginning to worry!!!

says:

I don’t know about anyone else…but I’m already depressed about the last book coming out, regaurdless of whether anyone dies. I am excited about reading the book, finding out what happens and getting questions answered…but this is the last time we will read a Harry Potter book for the first time. And there is nothing like getting that book at midnight, opening it up and reading it for the first time. That’s never going to happen again.

Fiction or not, Harry Potter has been a hugely significant part of my life. I mean, I grew up with those characters! They were some of my closest friends in the lonely years of middle and high school, and I met so many good friends in the fandom.

I can’t believe it’s coming to a close. I know I’ve mostly been a lurker for the past few years, making my voice known just around book releases and such…but I absolutely love you guys. It’s nice to have people that love this freakin books as much as I do… and I feel like we’re a family.

I guess there are a few things you can go through together, and not end up as friends after them. And reading, discussing, speculating, and enjoying these books is one of them. I love you all.

says:

Jo has said Harry is her favorite character, so I don’t think he will die, and the fact that now Dan thinks he will live makes me believe this even more.
I think Harry will live but it’s not going to be a complete happy ending. And he won’t be completely happy, I hope he doesn’t become a muggle, but maybe he’ll lose so many people he loves that his life is never going to be the same.

says:

Undone, your comment was very touching, and I’m sure a lot of us feel the same way about the momenteousness of this last book release. The good part about feeling this close link with other people through the Potter books is that you will now know what this kind of connection feels like, and you can look for it in other parts of your life. I found that once I got out of college it was hard to find that sort of “togetherness” feeling out there in the “real world”. So you have to take it where you can find it.

I did not grow up with the Harry Potter world, but my daughter did, with me reading the first 4 to her, and always talking about them. So the books represent a special link between my daughter and me as well, as the list of things mother and teen daughter enjoy doing together can grow shorter and shorter.

says:

Not me, for reasons I expounded on at great length years ago. Of course he’ll die. Everyone dies, it’s just a question of when.

says:

Whoops, forgot the comments have gone topsy-turvy… that last comment was a response to SadWizard’s “admit it” spiel.

says:

“Everyone dies, itâ€™s just a question of when.”

This is true. And according to Dumbledore, ‘to the well-organized mind death is but the next great adventure’. Yet, many fans are still young and to them death is something of a frightening experience. They’ve just come over their own personal demons and developed a sense of identity and self, and to see it shattered is a lot to deal with. In some senses, Harry ought to live a normal life for once, he ought to have the chance to be free from Voldemort. Will he? I haven’t the slightest clue. But I’ll understand if he is killed, and I’ll also understand if he has to sacrifice his magical powers in defeating Voldemort.

I will not be terribly unhappy at any of the deaths. Rather I’ll be unhappy at seeing the world that I have been engrossed in since I was 9 years cease to exist. I mean, it is still there on the page, but it no longer becomes an ongoing saga. It no longer becomes the next great adventure, but rather falls into memory, a pensieve of sorts that can now be examined at leisure. So in that sense, I guess the magic still remains. Immortalized not in a swirling bowl but in the written word.

I guess, thinking about it, it’s more bittersweet than everything. We’ve been invited into the world that Jo has created but it’s still going to be over. I’d hope that other fans realize we’ve had the pleasure of reading the world of Harry Potter and should remain respectful of whatever Jo chooses at the end. No doubt tears will flow, but we should let them flow for the right reasons and not grow angry if Harry, or Ron, or Hermione, or any other character we love dies.

Feel free to disagree, but this is how I feel.

says:

More bittersweet than anything**

Sorry about the typo, I really should proofread.

says:

I can’t wait though I REALLY don’t want it to end. I’ve read these books for a long time and made many friends from them. Jo has done aamazing job writing these wonderful books. When I felt alone I would always pick one up.I would like to thank The Leaky Cualdron for all the things you have done for all the Harry Potter fans out there, including myself. I completely agree with undone. I will try to savor DH and take as much time as possible reading it and will not rush. Once I am done, I look back and remember all the times I read the books and what Jo has acomplished and done for all the fans.
And when we are all done reading DH, we will always remember the book series that truely bewitched the world.And if Harry does die, we will always remember him as a friend.

says:

Kyle, I agree, whatever happens, I’m not going to be angry, because I love these books and these charatcers so much. :)

And yes, Harry will die soon or later, what I mean is I hope he has a long and happy life.

says:

I hope Harry dies. While I’m fond of him as a character, I think it would be the best conclusion of the series if he were to sacrifice himself to deal Voldemort a final defeat. I feel it would be more emotionally satisfying than having him gain an unlikely triumph at the expense of secondary characters.

I haven’t really liked the last couple of books that much, so I’m hoping for a storming finish.

says:

I am already greiving.

I heard Daniel say he doesn’t think Harry dies now.

But alas he may, this is after all the old King Authur story.

I think Ron and Hermine die,sorry.

says:

Oh yes, grieving is in full swing for me. I just hope that when I actually have the book in my hands that I’ll be ready because right now I’m definitely not. : ( Oh gosh—8 days is very, very soon after being obsessed for 7 years. : (

says:

Although I agree that it would be a great scene to read, on the other hand it would be so unfair, Harry is such a good person, he has done a lot for everyone else, his life has been so unfair.

I was watching the movie yesterday and I just wanted to give Harry a hug and say him: “you are not alone, we are with you”, it was a very emotive movie.

DD was old and he was not afraid of death, although we know Harry is not afraid of death either. And Sirius was not the same person after all those years in Azkaban, and I think part of him wanted to go, with James and Lily.
So, although it was sad to read about their deaths, it’s something that I can understand. And there is a good reason for it, because Harry needs to grow and do things on his own.
But I don’t know if there would be a good reason to kill Harry.
But no matter who dies, I won’t be angry because I’m sure Jo has her reasons. :)

says:

Although I agree that it would be a great scene to read, on the other hand it would be so unfair, Harry is such a good person, he has done a lot for everyone else, his life has been so unfair.

I was watching the movie yesterday and I just wanted to give Harry a hug and say him: “you are not alone, we are with you”, it was a very emotive movie.

DD was old and he was not afraid of death, although we know Harry is not afraid of death either. And Sirius was not the same person after all those years in Azkaban, so I think part of him wanted to go, with James and Lily.
So, although it was sad to read about their deaths, it’s something I can understand. And there is a good reason for it, because Harry needs to grow and do things on his own.
But I don’t know if there would be a good reason to kill Harry.
But no matter who dies, I won’t be angry because I’m sure Jo has her reasons. :)
When Jo says two more people die that she didn’t think about killing before writing this book, I think it could be Ron and Hermione.
That would kill Harry in a way, so he would live but he won’t be totally happy anymore.

says:

You know, at end he might just wake up from a dream and still be stuck in the closet under the stairs. His dream was an escape from reality.

That’ll be one way to keep people from doing anything else with the series.

says:

Hey Undone, I absolutely feel what you feel. I grew up with Harry Potter as well and these characters helped me through the grueling years of middle school and high school. I’ve been a fan since I was 7 and 10 years later, I’m as big of a fan as ever. Of course I’ll be grieving when a character dies in the book, but the saddest thing is getting the last book and knowing that this is the end. LONG LIVE HARRY POTTER!!!

says:

If Harry dies, it sort of ruins the message JKR is trying to give throughout the whole series…

says:

I cant wait for the final book to answer all the questions.Each book took us on a beautiful journey into a world where love conquers all, this theme is reacuring through out the first 6 books and hopefuly it will reacur in the final book.We met characters in a “fantasy world” that we all could relate to so it is normal that some will grieve.Personally I wont grieve once the saga is completed because hopefully in DH the story will come full circle.DH might be the end of the potter saga but who knows maybe Miss Rowling will treat us with a extra book on perhaps the adventures of the 4 founders of Hogwarts or the history of Hogwarts.She created such a beautiful world that we havent really explored completely yet.I dont see why the end of the Harry saga should be the end of the magical world

says:

I started reading the HP books when I heard the fourth book was being anticipated by kids. I picked up the first 3 along with the 4th and read away. When I was finished, I was already anticipating the next book. I’ve NEVER anticipated a book! I’ll read pretty much anything – cereal boxes, juice cartons, if I have nothing else (yeah I need help!) but I’ve been anticipating these books as I finish reading them – I don’t think anyone will be able to convince JK Rowling to resurrect Harry if she has him die at the end (remember the Stephen King book “Misery”?)

(I don’t want Harry to die (he’s had such a difficult life for him to die miserable) but if he was to survive – what would she say? “He killed Voldemort, got a job at the ministry of magic, got married & lived happily ever after”? I’m thinking he dies, but I’m hoping JK will have a nice believable way to keep him alive.

says:

I cant wait for the final book to answer all the questions.Each book took us on a beautiful journey into a world where love conquers all, this theme is reacuring through out the first 6 books and hopefuly it will reacur in the final book.We met characters in a “fantasy world” that we all could relate to so it is normal that some will grieve.Personally I wont grieve once the saga is completed because hopefully in DH the story will come full circle.DH might be the end of the potter saga but who knows maybe Miss Rowling will treat us with a extra book on perhaps the adventures of the 4 founders of Hogwarts or the history of Hogwarts.She created such a beautiful world that we havent really explored completely yet.I dont see why the end of the Harry saga should be the end of the magical world

says:

I havenâ€™t even thought of who is going to die and how I would feel about it. I have such conflicted feelings when it comes to this last book.

On one hand, it’s a new HP book and I REALLY want to know what’s next in the HP adventure. I just want to read the book for hours at a time, only stopping when necessary.

On the other hand, I want to savor this book like it was my last meal. This is the last taste of Harry’s world that Jo is going to give us. There might be charity books, but nothing analogous to a new “Harry Potter and the Something of Something”. Once I close the cover to Deathly Hallows, I am probably going to feel so empty. There are no more infuriating mysteries to solve, Snape speculating, or dissection of Joâ€™s well crafted clues.

Kyle said it well “It no longer becomes the next great adventure, but rather falls into memory, a pensieve of sorts that can now be examined at leisure. So in that sense, I guess the magic still remains. Immortalized not in a swirling bowl but in the written word.”

The books will always be there when I finish Deathly Hallows and probably reread many more times, but I doubt we’ll ever have the thrill that comes with a brand new book.

I really don’t know what I’m going to do when I have the last book in my hands. Sigh

says:

IM SURE Harry will not die

absoloutely positive he wont….thats a good idea paul

says:

I can’t believe this is all ending…no more reading a HP book for the first time.. theres nothing like the feeling of reading a HP for the first time. At least we still have two more movies to look forward to and the theme park! But its not the same :[ I know that I’m going to be bawling after the book is done.. not only for the characters that will die but because its all over.

says:

It will be very, very sad for me. I’ll probably cry for the characters that die, and then cry for the series being over. I’m going to make the most of the midnight party so that I have great memories to look back on this amazing time in our lives.

says:

So, I do have to say that I’m extremely depressed with the idea that this will in fact be the last Harry Potter book. I went to see the 5th movie the other night @ Midnight and when I went into work the next day everyone was joking around asking why on earth I would care about the movies and the books. I think its kind of hard for some people to understand that this is like my childhood, I’ve waited 10 years for this! 10 long years I’ve read these books, and waited very patiently for JK Rowlings to finally answer all of those questions that she has, up until now, left to our own imaginations. It’s such a bittersweet feeling that this time has finally come. Next week the whole world will finally know all the answers to the questions that have eatten away at us for so long.

I read an article a few days ago written by Stephen King, it was amazing how right on he was dealing with the feelings that everyone is having about the final book. He explained the not only are we saying goodbye to Harry but we are also saying goodbye to our childhoods. I can’t even put into words how upset I will be when I have to read what happens to my beloved Harry POtter characters in the end. Although I hate to admit it more and more each day I coming to accept the fact that deep down I believe Harry will have to die. I think to help myself get through this though I have come to the conclusion that I believe Harry will die but Neville will in the end be the one to defeat Voldemont.

says:

Come on, she’s not going to kill Harry. Harry will live.

says:

Wow, Undone, I can totally understand where you’re coming from. The books have always been there when I’m bored or to help me not procrastinate so much on school work (I always try to channel my inner Hermione.)
The series has been kind of like going to a summer camp. You meet new people, learn new things, but in the end you have to say good-bye. The last book will for sure be bittersweet, but I know it’s always going to be a time in my life I can look back on. We will all always have those fond memories of the midnight releases and meeting new people through books. And we still have two more movies to see! I don’t know about anyone else, but I plan on sharing the books with my future children. The themes are so timeless and it’ll be a great way to show them what I liked to read when I was young.

I hope everyone has an awesome release night and really makes it a special occasion!

says:

This Book Looks GREAT! Spirit Agrees!

says:

I really hope Harry lives but if he lives it will be after a lot of mind/body/soul changing stuff. I mean Harry has to face You Know Who at some point, that in its self will be a hard trip for hime to make.

I will not have dry eyes through out the reading.

says:

I doubt Harry will die. I would put quite a damper on the Deathly Hallows movie, wouldn’t it?

says:

I doubt Harry will die. It would put quite a damper on the Deathly Hallows movie, wouldn’t it?

says:

I’m already depressed that this is all coming to an end. For all these years, each book has provided an ubelievable amount of joy in my life. I really hope Jo does something else just as wonderful.

I have a feeling that Mr. Weasly is a goner. He, Hagrid, and Lupin are the last fatherly types in Harry’s life.

says:

I think one good way to make sure the books do NOT last through the ages, is to kill off Harry. I would feel seriously let down if he died, like I’d wasted my time enjoying these books for so long. That said, if Harry had a Frodo-like ending, I’d be absolutely ok with that. Bittersweet endings make me cry the hardest, not ones where the main character dies.

And no matter who dies, I’m going to be devastated. This is the last book. sigh Hopefully I don’t cry through the whole damn thing like I did when watching the last LOTR movie (theater on opening night, knowing the ending: The ‘dolby digital sound’ logo came up on screen. I bawled. So it’s entirely possible that the words “Harry Potter sat in his room in Privet Drive” or the like will have me in tears anyway.).

says:

Lome!!! I feel your pain. I could not stop crying when Lord Aragorn said “My Friends, you bow to no one”. And then, when he got on the ship with the elves… fahgettaboutit. lol. But that’s for another chat room…

says:

I keep seeing people’s quotes in these articles about how we’re prepared, we shouldn’t be shocked, etc. about the upcoming deaths in DH. For me, it’s not so much about preparation for what’s to come but about the deaths themselves. I’m going to cry like a baby, I just know it! I understand we westerners take joy in killing our heroes at the end of stories, and such but it’s still sad after becoming so attached to these characters to see them go. Prepared for deaths? Yes – with tissues by my side.

says:

undone the feelings mutual! I have too grown up with these characters who have been almost like friends and it will be sad to see the series end. It’s coming everyone!

says:

All of the comments on here were great. In a weird way, reading them made me feel a lot more comfortable with the release of the last book. Kyle’s words were right on point, and while I will probably never feel the same way as I have felt before the release of all the books, I feel really blessed to have literally grown up reading them. As others, I NEVER anticipated the release of books before I got into Harry Potter, and it just goes to show how much they really affect and capture people. As for Harry dying, I think it will happen, and I don’t think any ending would be quite as good. He doesn’t need to die miserably, but die knowing that he fulfilled his destiny, and his death will create a better future (though of course not a perfect one) for his friends and generations to come. i think that will really make for a “happy” ending, instead of having harry defeat voldemort and living a normal life.

says:

You know, as I hear and read about the inevitability of Harry’s death, on one hand I understand how it could be fitting, given mythological and legendary archtypes and such. And, of course, JKR has used lots of these established precedents in her story telling. However —although she has used the familiar and established, I think that she is only using them as a foundation for her own venture and her own voice. Think about the prophecy. Past precedent is to view prophecy as some sort of written-in-stone law that must happen. But DD made an adamant attempt to help Harry see that he was not bound by the prophecy. Voldemort’s belief in the prophecy was making it come true by operating within its confines. Harry would fight Voldemort with or without the prophecy. So it is not the prophecy that is powerful in itself, but the belief in it and acting upon it by Voldemort. That was a departure that JKR took to show that the individual hero is the ruler of himself, not bound by outside voices. Now, as for the dying hero archtype, Harry could be a departure from that as well. Look at the setting. A schoolboy in training to recognize his own innate powers. Will he learn those only to use them against evil in one big blaze of glory and then die? Or will he win that victory and then go on to face the biggest and vaguest and most glorious adventure of all -- a “normal” life. Although Harry will be willing to sacrifice his life so that others can have this precious gift, is it really necessary? Have we come to no better vision for resolution in this current Zeitgeist? We’ll soon see what JKR thinks. I am very interested to see how she will handle this.

says:

Don’t know why my last comment came out with a line through half of it. Sorry about that. Weird.

says:

i’m completly overwhemed with grief!!!!!!!!!! It’s just so… So.. SAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! cries a river and never builds a bridge again

says:

its just so difficult for me to realize that HP is reaching completion… ive only been a real member of the fandom for about 2 years… and i wish i had been before. even so, i feel as tho this is a huge part of my life… im going to be just as sad as everyone else…

and yet… i cant wait! and i really really really REALLYREALLY dont want harry to die… but i have a feeling that he might.

and i want sirius to come back to life. that would make my flippin day!

<3padfootrocksmysocks

says:

Harry dies. He just has to.

says:

“Neither can live, if the other survives.” This pretty much means 1 of three outcomes. Harry kills Tom, Tom kills Harry, Both Kill Each Other. Evil won’t win (Tom Kills Harry) because J.K. is heartless and evil and has at least some love for her fans. The Heroic Martyr Death of Harry (both die) fits the historical epic writing style and is a good possibility. But I think thats been overdone this generation with the lack of Good triumphing over Evil in a decisive (Harry kills Tom) sort of way, and thus I will put my hopes into that outcome.

says:

What scares me most of all is that Jo has already made it perfectly clear that in Harrys world, death is somthing that is final, a real reality and there is no way to reverse it. If this is her mentality in DH…then no one is safe. (EEEEK! Sombody hold me!)

says:

Even if Harry lives, in a way he dies, because the book is finished and we won’t be reading more about his life… so I will feel like he died.
And I know I’ll cry and cry.
He is my favorite character, in these books, and all the books I’ve read. He made me love reading and I won’t never forget that.

says:

im gona start crying dammit

says:

Next Sunday I will have finished the book as I plan to read through the night after a weekend of work.

I really have no real sadness on the demise of any character for they will all live on in my memories as JK has planted a reason for young perople to read and read again.

Yes, Harry’s death will make us cry and others will bring out the tears but I will cry tears of joy if Snape isn’t the character I think he is deep inside. To me, he is truly a character that is misunderstood by us all.

I hope I am right and he isn’t neither an oportunist or traitor.

Yes next Monday the Mallory’s and others like her will be leaping with joy at the end but I will also feel and exciting moment as triumph will prevail and all of us will thank JK for letting us into a world that gives hope pleasure and a sense of belonging.

Thanks Leaky for bringing Potter mania into my living room daily as not a day goes by when I read and reread many comments and stories. I have lived through Buck Rogers, Star Trek, Star Wars, The Hobbits, LOTR, MATRIX and many others but none have I read and reread so many times as The HP series. I think I am catching with HP as many times as I read the Bible.

Thanks for letting me be here for this is perhaps my final post. And for all those who have bashed Christians STOP lumping us in with Laura Mallory. We are not all like her and she really is in the minotiy of amny Christian who believe in faith in its reality.

says:

Well, I think I will be sad whether Harry lives or dies because it is the last book in the series. I really hope the trio stays alive, or if not, I hope all of them die so they can be together always. I agree with Goldenberg though, J.K. Rowling can’t kill Harry!

says:

this series has been my whole childhood and i will cry alot. i think harry will probably die cause thats the only thing that seems right to me…how can he have a life after all this? and i also think that if he dies snape will finish what harry has to do…kill voldemort. though whatever j.k does i’ll be happy with it…its her story. i read above that somone said that to them even if harry lives cause this is the end it will be like he died anyway…i totally agree, its very true…i’m so devastated that this will all be over soon.